Not in joking mood, Bisping fires back at fellow UFC 152 fighter Benavidez

Things could get a little chilly in the locker rooms at UFC 152 – at least if Michael Bisping and Joseph Benavidez are sharing space.

Putting it mildly, Bisping didn’t appreciate the UFC flyweight’s off-the-cuff remark that he was a harder puncher.

“That smug-faced little t— in a prepubescent boy’s body needs to shut the f— up because I’ll take the Pepsi Challenge with that short-ass any day of the week,” Bisping told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).

Benavidez made his claim at the end of a recent video blog shot for the UFC. While watching a promo for UFC 152, his longtime training partner Urijah Faber asks him if he hits harder than “The Count.”

“Yes, I hit harder than Bisping,” Benavidez answers.

At the time of his interview, Bisping was just waiting for his cellphone to power up so he could make his comment public on Twitter. In the end, he didn’t and instead retweeted a fan comment that flamed Benavidez (16-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who co-headlines the event’s pay-per-view main card opposite Demetrious Johnson (15-2-1 MMA, 3-1-1 UFC) in a bout for the inaugural UFC flyweight title.

“People are going to say that I’m talking crap, but he’s the one trying to start in with me,” said middleweight Bisping (22-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC), who meets Brian Stann (12-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) on the UFC 152 PPV main card. “[Benavidez] needs to recognize his weight class because my 11-year-old boy will take care of him.”

Unfortunately, Benavidez and Bisping are separated by 60 pounds, give or take, so unless the former becomes morbidly obese or the latter cuts off a limb, fans can’t expect a meeting between the two.

But of course, they can expect a response from the Brit middleweight, who by now has grown to love the boos that accompany his walks to the cage.

Benavidez recently took to Twitter to poke fun at Bisping’s reaction.

“Wow didn’t think a big, tough, secure guy like [Bisping] would get all butt hurt at my blog,” he wrote. “Pretty funny.”

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

From Our Partners

The Latest

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.